


Love is a Gift

by hypnotage



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Boys In Love, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:53:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28896177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hypnotage/pseuds/hypnotage
Summary: Nicky buys a gift for Joe
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 6
Kudos: 80





	Love is a Gift

Nicky fiddled with the third button on his husband's shirt and stepped back, admiring his work. Joe pouted his lips and stuck out his hip and Nicky couldn’t help but laugh at the expression on the other man's face.

“Stop that” he chuckled 

“Stop what?” Joe asked innocently, his lips pouting even further.

“That thing” he said in between laughter, “that thing you’re doing with your lips”

Joe straightened up and the pout vanished from his face, only to be quickly replaced by a wide smile, “but it's my signature look”

Nicky brought his hand up to his face and dragged it down, as if he was rubbing the smirk of Joe’s face. As he brought his hand back, Joe caught it easily and pressed it to the side of his face, “but really though, how does my outfit look?”

He pulled back his hand and scratched the side of head. He stuck out his bottom lip, as if he were giving the question some thought, even though, of course, Nicky knew, it didn’t. Yusuf always looked absolutely ravishing in anything, no matter what he was wearing or how long his hair was. 

He drank in the image of the man standing opposite him. Joe had cut his beard shorter than he usually had it - in response to Nico’s choice to grow out his own. Joe had even gone as far as cutting his beautiful curls when Nico had announced that he was growing out his hair. ‘No beard burn’ Yusuf had said, as he cut the carrot he’d been holding that day in the kitchen (Andy had almost choked on her juice).

Now, Joe’s hair was short cropped on the sides and piled curls at the top, just long enough that Nicky could grip onto his hair when they were in bed (or against the bedroom wall). His beard was even shorter, barely even stubble that covered the bottom half of his face. Nicky hated it but they had to change up their look every once in a while. The only plus side to this new change was the hoop earring that hung from Joe’s right ear, now that was an absolute upper hand for Joe in the art of seduction (even though they both knew he would do just as well without it).

Nico on the other hand, had grown out his hair so it reached the nape of his neck, hanging off in waves. He’d also grown out his beard and it was still in the same style that Joe had carefully manipulated Nicky to keep. The things they did for true love, nicky thought.

Speaking of true love, his was standing opposite him and waiting for an answer. Nicky let out a breath and waved his hand in the air, “oh, it’s nice” 

“Thats it? It’s nice? Nico, you wound me”

Nicky laughed again, this time at the sore expression of fake hurt on Joe’s face. 

“My heart, the outfit is just okay, but you on the other hand, look absolutely ravishing”

“Why thank you, hayati, but really, you don’t like my outfit?”, he asked, pouting again

Nicky looked him up and down, at the crisp pastel pink shirt that hugged his chest in all the right places, at the dark trousers that really made his long legs look even longer, at the suit jacket that was carefully tailored to highlight his magnificent biceps and at the light brown classic oxfords that covered his bright yellow, strawberry covered socks. 

Ok, so maybe the suit was a little nice.  
But he wasn’t about to admit that to joe so quickly.

“It’s just a little… plain, don’t you think?”

“Nicolo, how could you, this is the peak of style and elegance you are gazing upon”

“Yes, my heart, I agree, but this elegance only comes from the body and the heart that it covers”

“Okay, that was cute, but nico, come on, this suit is absolutely gorgeous and i will not stand for you belittling its glory in this way”

“maybe , its just missing something”

“What?” 

Nicky cleared his throat, this is the moment he had been waiting for.

“I said, maybe it's just missing something” 

“Hmmm, you’re right, maybe i could add some cufflinks to the look”

“Actually, i was thinking something more along the lines of... this”

Nicky walked to the other side of their room and opened the drawer that sat next to their bed. He shuffled around for a moment, before reaching in and pulling out a small blue box.

Walking back to Joe, wiped the dust away from the lid. He’d been waiting for this moment for a long time. 

“Now what is this you hold in your hand?”

“Open it and find out” he said, taking Yusuf's hand and placing the box in the middle of his palm. Joe turned it over in his hands and stroked his hand over the soft velvet that covered it.

“Well the box is beautiful” he huffed quickly 

“Open it” nicky repeated 

Joe looked up at him, his eyes bright. Was he crying?  
Their eyes locked for a moment before focusing on the box again. Joe stroked the top again, once, almost reverently before opening the box. 

Nicky stared at his face, wanting to capture the moment when his love first saw the gift that he had picked out for him. 

And he watched as Joe’s eyes went wide and he mouthed words but nothing came out. His eyes gleamed even brighter, and now Nico was sure that he was crying. 

Nicky moved closer, placing his hand on Joe’s where he clasped the box.

“Do you like it” he asked, his voice almost a whisper.

“Oh nico, its beautiful”, he whispered, “ I love it”

Nicky picked the necklace out of the box carefully and gestured for Joe to turn around. He reached up and placed the necklace round his neck and kissed the back of neck.

“Let’s see” Nicky said, his voice still quiet.

Joe turned around in his arms until they were facing each other. He reached out and touched the necklace, running his fingers over the intertwined hoops.

“When did you get it?”

“A month a go… i think”

“And you waited so long to give it”

“I was waiting for the right moment”, he smiled.

“Oh yusuf, read the inscription” nicky said softly 

Joe lifted up the hoops and brought them closer to his face.

Nicky had carefully picked out the perfect necklace for Joe and then got them inscribed. One of the hoops had Nicky’s name and the other had Joe’s, both in arabic, and both hoops were entwined (everlasting love and all that). 

“I would know him in death and at the end of the world” Joe read out, his voice low and reverent.”

Joe looked up at him, dropping the necklace (carefully) in turn of stepping forward to take Nicky’s face in his hands and pressing their lips together.

When they finally broke away from each other, Joe rested his forehead against his own. Nicky let his eyes fall shut as they breathed in time with each other. The world became quieter, time slowed down as everything centered in on them, on Joe.

Nicky picked up the necklace and tucked it under Joe’s shirt, right over his heart.

“Just for today”

“yeah”

“I’m glad you liked it”

Joe smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling and his eyes lighting up.

“Nico, I love it” he whispered, “thank you”

“I love you” Nicolo said 

“I love you” Yusuf replied

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading  
> I'm very new to this fic-writing thing so I'd love to know what you thought in the comments


End file.
